This post appeared on the RenounceUScitizenship blog.
Once upon a time in America – Protection of freedom from within
“Freedom and the dignity of the individual have been more available and more assured here than in any other land on earth. The price for this freedom at times has been high, but we have never been unwilling to pay that price. … I do not believe in a fate that will fall us no matter what we do. I do believe in a fate that will fall on us if we do nothing.”
Today in America – Freedom is CrimeThink and the citizens live in fear of FormCrime
Must Read!! The Guardian: “Edward Snowden – saving us from the United Stasi of America,” by Daniel Ellsberg http://t.co/O5VGPBqzzo
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) June 12, 2013
U.S. Government admits to spying directly on “foreigners” using PRISM
Interestingly when the Obama spy scandal broke, the President was quick to point out that the U.S. government was only spying on “foreigners”. To be specific: the government through the PRISM program was monitoring the email, chats and photos of “foreigners” that was running through U.S. internet servers. (Note that to be monitored the data must run through U.S. servers. Approximately one week ago I explained why this is driving the growth of “offshore email and internet servers”. I also suggested that it won’t be long before the U.S. forces its citizens to disclose all “offshore email accounts” to the U.S. government – “FEARBar“. But I digress.)
U.S. Government now wants to force “foreign governments” to spy on “foreign citizens” – That’s the FATCA of the matter!
FATCA exists for one purpose. The purpose is for the U.S. to obtain information on bank accounts in other countries. That’s it. No other reason. But, FATCA operates to force “foreign governments” to spy for the U. S. on residents of their countries. Yes, it’s the return of the Stasi – U.S. style.
Hmm, FATCA IGA anyone?
At the same time the U.S. admits that it has been spying on residents of other countries (“foreigners”), it is now asking forcing them to spy on their residents and turn this data over to the IRS. I wonder if the “PRISM Chronicles” will have any effect on the FATCA IGA process.
On this question, listen to the following interview with anti-FATCA advocate and member of European Parliament Sophie in ‘t Veld. She echoes the comments of Canadian Civil Liberties Association Abby Deshman that the U.S. has an insatiable appetite for data. At a minimum the EU is angered by the NSA PRISM program.
And now on to Sophie …
European Union Angered by N.S.A. PRISM Program – The Takeaway http://t.co/1MxQ0BuZ80
— U.S. Citizen Abroad (@USCitizenAbroad) June 12, 2013
What do you think? Will this slow the IGA process?
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The US pretends that those who have nothing to hide shouldn’t object to being subjected to any and all surveillance.
Read this http://www.thenewstribune.com/2013/06/18/2642842/we-forget-the-other-side-of-spying.html
from a New York Times reporter Gail Collins, about the American citizen Brandon Mayfield, who was arrested in error, whose US family home was entered and searched secretly, and who later the US admitted was subjected to arrest and persecution without any cause. The US entered their home multiple times, and secretly collected objects, computer files, and other items, including DNA samples from family members’ toothbrushes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandon_Mayfield
more confirmation of poor stewardship of personal data by the US. It begins with vetting individuals to get clearances to restricting access on a need to know basis and lastly lack of control of the movement of information.
the problem is systemic, NSA is the tip of the iceberg, same issues exist with IRS and DHS gathering and use/abuse of personal information for political ends
Live conference call and media questions on Snowden here…
http://rt.com/on-air/assange-snowden-asylum-ecuador/
Maybe they needed a Bigger Budget or something…?
Might as well get some laughs out of this…
JUNE 24, 2013
AGENCY BUSY SPYING ON THREE HUNDRED MILLION PEOPLE FAILED TO NOTICE ONE DUDE WORKING FOR IT
POSTED BY ANDY BOROWITZ
Ron Paul today:
“My understanding is that espionage means giving secret or classified information to the enemy. Since Snowden shared information with the American people, his indictment for espionage could reveal (or confirm) that the US Government views you and me as the enemy.”
Snowdon answers readers questions:
“Citizens with a conscience are not going to ignore wrong-doing simply because they’ll be destroyed for it: the conscience forbids it. Instead, these draconian responses simply build better whistleblowers. If the Obama administration responds with an even harsher hand against me, they can be assured that they’ll soon find themselves facing an equally harsh public response.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/edward-snowden-nsa-files-whistleblower
Here this should help EU enthusiasm for FATCA
Attacks from America: NSA Spied on European Union Offices
America’s NSA intelligence service allegedly targeted the European Union with its spying activities. According to SPIEGEL information, the US placed bugs in the EU representation in Washington and infiltrated its computer network. Cyber attacks were also perpetrated against Brussels in New York and Washington.
More than Mega DATA. #NSA has capabilities to store every single cell phone call, and to listen to them at any time. http://bit.ly/19MaNSf
EU demands clarification over US spying claims
European parliament president ‘deeply worried and shocked’ by claims published in Der Spiegel that US bugged EU offices
European Union ministers are getting a taste of what it feels like to be American. EU ministers are reportedly “deeply worried and shocked” on Sunday after German magazine Der Spiegel claimed the NSA had bugged their offices and gained access to computer networks. Der Spiegel claims to have seen in part a “top secret” NSA document that leaker Edward Snowden took with him. The document allegedly calls the EU a “target,” and reportedly details how the U.S. bugged offices and gained access to computer networks in Washington and at the United Nations—and the Justus Lipsius building in Brussels, the home of the European Council. So how does it feel? “If these reports are true, it’s disgusting,” said Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Jean Asselborn.
Thank you, Edward Snowden! The timing of this couldn’t be better as the EU launches negotiations for a free trade agreement with the US. Our EU leaders had better get their act together and raise a huge stink over this! How can they negotiate anything with a “partner” who treats them like that?
@sven_giegold @SophieintVeld #NSA EU Union spying can not give you comfort about the devil you get in bed with FATCA http://bit.ly/10sPMtb
Pluto made this comment to me on email that raises some very valid points… I posted this elsewhere, but wanted to put it here too.
@Plato, Just Me
Those who smoke grass are the ones least likely to believe that the USG will respect privacy laws 😉
A word to the wise for our EU leaders: “Protégéz-moi de mes amis. Mes ennemis, je m’en occupe.”
@Jane Doe Belge…
Amen!
@bubblebustin,
You’ve got that right!
Jane Doe belge: Bien dit!
bubblebustin,
You absolutely have that right!!!!
On Belgian news this evening, lead story: Tour de France (a Belgian won today’s “étape” so we can forgive them), followed by US spying on European Union. Initial reactions of outrage are promising. Isabelle Durant, a Belgian MEP and one of the European Parliament’s vice-présidents, has called for suspending the trade talks. Maybe some of the fallout will spill over to FATCA and cause some serious rethinking. Belgium and many other EU member states have not signed an IGA yet.
NSA Ticks Off the World
While pusillanimous Americans shrug at their government’s criminality, the rest of the planet is less nonchalant about DC’s omnivorous espionage. The European Union’s politicians claim they’re outraged that “Washington is spying on the group” – probably because they’re jealous at being mere pikers compared to the NSA.
If You Like The Surveillance State, You’ll Love E-Verify
From massive NSA spying, to IRS targeting of the administration’s political opponents, to collection and sharing of our health care information as part of Obamacare, it seems every day we learn of another assault on our privacy. Sadly, this week the Senate took another significant, if little-noticed, step toward creating an authoritarian surveillance state. Buried in the immigration bill is a national identification system called mandatory E-Verify.
The Senate did not spend much time discussing E-Verify, and what little discussion took place was mostly bipartisan praise for its effectiveness as a tool for preventing illegal immigrants from obtaining employment. It is a tragedy that mandatory E-Verify is not receiving more attention, as it will impact nearly every American’s privacy and liberty.
The mandatory E-Verify system requires Americans to carry a “tamper-proof” social security card. Before they can legally begin a job, American citizens will have to show the card to their prospective employer, who will then have to verify their identity and eligibility to hold a job in the US by running the information through the newly-created federal E-Verify database. The database will contain photographs taken from passport files and state driver’s licenses. The law gives federal bureaucrats broad discretion in adding other “biometric” identifiers to the database. It also gives the bureaucracy broad authority to determine what features the “tamper proof” card should contain.
Regardless of one’s views on immigration, the idea that we should have to ask permission from the federal government before taking a job ought to be offensive to all Americans. Under this system, many Americans will be denied the opportunity for work. The E-Verify database will falsely identify thousands as “ineligible,” forcing many to lose job opportunities while challenging government computer inaccuracies. E-Verify will also impose additional compliance costs on American businesses, at a time when they are struggling with Obamacare implementation and other regulations.
According to David Bier of Competitive Enterprise Institute, there is nothing stopping the use of E-Verify for purposes unrelated to work verification, and these expanded uses could be authorized by agency rule-making or executive order. So it is not inconceivable that, should this bill pass, the day may come when you are not be able to board an airplane or exercise your second amendment rights without being run through the E-Verify database. It is not outside the realm of possibility that the personal health care information that will soon be collected by the IRS and shared with other federal agencies as part of Obamacare will also be linked to the E-Verify system.
Those who dismiss these concerns as paranoid should consider that the same charges were leveled at those who warned that the PATRIOT Act could lead to the government collecting our phone records and spying on our Internet usage. Just as the PATRIOT Act was only supposed to be used against terrorists but is now used to bypass constitutional protections in matters having noting to do with terrorism or national security, the national ID/mandatory E-Verify database will not only be used to prevent illegal immigrants from gaining employment. Instead, it will eventually be used as another tool to monitor and control the American people.
The recent revelations of the extent of National Security Agency (NSA) spying on Americans, plus recent stories of IRS targeting Tea Party and similar groups for special scrutiny, demonstrates the dangers of trusting government with this type of power. Creation of a federal database with photos and possibly other “biometric” information about American citizens is a great leap forward for the surveillance state. All Americans who still care about limited government and individual liberty should strongly oppose E-Verify.
The revelations on NSA spying on European Union continue to reverbarate this morning. I see a LOT more stories on
Google News.
I focused on one story today on PRI,s Market place whose attention I have been getting to draw to FATCA has failed remarkably by using comments. Just search on their site for FATCA and see what you get.
That said, I posted another comment today, for what it is worth. Just continue to spin the narrative connecting NSA spying and FATCA data collection into the same category of surveillance or Global total informational awareness program the NSA is creating.
http://bit.ly/1avscBL
Others are welcome to join in, as mine has been the lonely voice on PRI in this regard.
good PRI comment. It is hard to persuade PRI, who are paid by Senators Levin and Schumer each year in the budget. Never bite the hand that feeds.
Your Marketplace comment Just Me is way more “double plus good” than the article.
Voluntary E-verify today
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-Verify
One of them mentions that satisfaction with the system is now up to 85% (guess who wrote their own wiki page?)
http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=e94888e60a405110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD&vgnextchannel=e94888e60a405110VgnVCM1000004718190aRCRD
Check ’em via Homeland Security on the Internet
https://e-verify.uscis.gov/emp/vislogin.aspx?JS=YES
With such a high satisfaction rating in the voluntary status, why not make it mandatory?